Unbelievable
by HopeIsHere16
Summary: The war is having a more profound effect on her subconscious than Lily realized. After her first date with the notorious James Potter, she is brutally reminded that friends can easily become enemies, and those you love can - in less than a moment - become nothing more than ghosts of the past. JP/LE, LE/SB friendship. Marauder-Era.


Unbelievable

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!

Author's Note: I know that it's been a while since I've logged onto FanFiction. As is so often the case with authors, real life truly did get in the way. I originally came back to work on my other Harry Potter fic _Marked With Love_, but this idea was in my head and I just had to write it down! I'll update MWL as soon as possible :) I don't know if anything like this has been written before (with 600,000+ HP fanfics I'm sure _something_ has) but I hope to make this as original as possible:) Thank you for clicking on, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

"I'm glad I gave you a chance, Potter," I comment casually, taking a light step forward. The grounds of Hogsmeade are slippery, as they're completely covered in ice and snow. It's a great challenge not to fall as James and I make our way towards the Three Broomsticks.

"Not as glad as I am," James says. A smile lights up his entire face, making him look like a small child even though he is over seventeen years-old. The brisk winds that blow around us make his hair look even more disheveled than it usually does, and I can't help but find it incredibly adorable. Happiness fills my heart.

"We can't get to The Three Broomsticks fast enough," I laugh slightly, brushing some snowflakes from my hair with my glove-clad hands. It is a futile attempt, however; the snow is coming so quickly now that it adorns my hair like jewels again almost immediately.

"Leave them," James says, referring to the snowflakes. "They're - I mean, they're - I like them." James ducks his head a bit, probably trying to hide the rosy glow that has suddenly appeared on his cheeks. Whether it's from the wind or embarrassment I'm not sure.

"Alright," I say for lack of anything else. We walk in silence for a few moments, but it is not awkward; in fact, I find that I rather enjoy the friendly stillness of our stroll. I risk a glance over at James, who is running his bare hands through his hair at an alarmingly fast pace. I softly chuckle once more, but do so quietly enough that my companion cannot hear me.

I realize with a start that never before have I ever smiled so much around James; if anything, that is a sign that I haven't made a mistake agreeing to go out with him again. After the first date I had wondered if he'd just been on his best behavior to ensure that I didn't regret it, but now, I was beginning to grasp that James truly had changed. And I found that I enjoyed the company of this new James more than I enjoyed the company of anyone else in the world.

"Why are you smiling?" asks James a bit nervously, a mischievous twinkle alight in his eyes. The question is so innocent, yet he acts as though my answer could destroy him.

"Because I'm happy." I reply immediately. I don't even think about the words as they leave my mouth because I know without a shadow of a doubt that they're true.

"Lily Evans, happy around _me_," drools James goofily, a large grin sliding onto his face. I don't know if he even realizes he's saying the words out loud. "That's a first."

"Hey!" I say, pretending to be offended. I slap his chest playfully, skipping ahead of him ever so slightly. I can tell he is about to chase me, but his sport ends the second he notices that I'm beginning to lose my balance. Thankfully, he catches me beneath my arms before I can wipe out.

"Thank you," I whisper breathlessly, turning my head to face my savior. James looks at me with this serious expression on his face, an expression I have never seen before.

"You're welcome," he replies just as quietly. We stare into each other's eyes for a moment, and then before either of us really knows what's happening, our lips are pressed together with a need too urgent to deny. The kiss is passionate, and beautiful, and absolutely perfect. The smell of James's cologne fills my senses, and I press myself more closely to him. We pull away, slightly out of breath, and I'm about to lean in again -

When everything goes wrong.

There are seven of them - five of them have their faces covered with masks the color of bones. Against the whiteness of the snow, all I can see clearly are the black robes that billow around them in the wind. Though I have never seen one so close in person, I immediately make the connection. The words _Death Eaters_ flash through my mind.

The two with their faces visible I easily recognize - one of them is none other than my old friend, Severus Snape. Except Sev's eyes are cold and dark, and there is no mercy on his face when he raises his wand and points it towards me. The other, who is standing amiably by Severus's side, is James's best mate, Sirius Black. I've known Black for nearly seven years, and in that time, he has never shown _me_, personally, anything but kindness. Now, however, he looks just as deadly as the other Death Eaters by his side. His wand is aimed at James, and I barely have time to register what's going on before I hear the words _"Avada Kadavra!"_

James falls limply by my side, his hazel eyes frozen in a mask of disbelief.

I look back to Sirius, who is grinning in triumph. None of it makes sense! Black and Potter have been inseparable, like brothers, since first year! Why would Black do such a thing? Why would he betray his best friend? Not caring that my own life is still very much in danger, I kneel beside James and cradle him in my arms. I weep loudly, attempting to force life back into the boy I've only just begun to care about. I just got James in my life - I'm not going to lose him so quickly! The tears are blinding now, and I can barely breathe anymore. All I can think about is joining James wherever he is when I hear the cold clipped voice of Severus mutter the Killing Curse as well.

* * *

OoO

* * *

Lily Evans shoots up in bed in a cold sweat. She is the only one in her dormitory, as the other girls in her year have all gone home for the holidays. For nearly ten minutes Lily just sits beneath her covers, shaking, trying to figure out where she is. In her mind, just moments before, she had been killed on a snowy Sunday afternoon with James.

James...

"JAMES!" screams Lily in anguish, tears beginning to pool in her emerald eyes. Had it really all been a dream? Or was her newfound romantic interest truly deceased by the very hand of his best friend?

"He can't be gone," Lily mutters madly to herself, removing herself from her sheets and putting on a robe as quickly as she can. "He can't be gone, he can't be gone..."

Lily shuffles nervously down the stairs until she reaches the Gryffindor Common Room. There is still a small fire burning in the hearth, and the glowing embers aid slightly in calming her anxiety-ridden mind. Nevertheless she is still a wreck, and no matter how hard she tries, she cannot stifle the loud sobs that are tearing through her throat. It's a wonder the entire castle hasn't been woken by her cries of anguish.

"Bloody hell, Evans!" says a disgruntled voice from the direction of the boys' dormitories. "What in Merlin's name are you _doing_?"

Lily whips around quickly at the sound of the boy, and when she sees who it is, hatred courses through her veins. In the time it takes for a very confused Sirius Black to blink, Lily has cornered him and placed a wand against his throat.

"Give me one good reason not to do it!" she screams deliriously. Sirius's eyes are wide with unmasked fear.

"What the hell, Lily?" he shouts in utter disbelief. "I didn't do anything wrong, I swear! What did I do? Somebody help me!"

In a matter of moments, the madness has left Lily's eyes, and she drops her wand from Sirius's neck. Sirius backs away from Lily quickly, rubbing his throat and trying to even his breathing. "What was _that_ about?" he asks hoarsely, his hand twitching towards his own wand in his back pocket. If Lily made one more move -

"I'm sorry!" Lily cries, her voice breaking. She hurls herself into Sirius's arms, sobbing manically into his chest. Sirius, stunned, has absolutely no idea what to do. "I'm so sorry, Sirius, I just had this awful nightmare and - and -" Lily breaks off, unable to continue.

"It's okay, Lily," Sirius says awkwardly, leading the young redhead to the nearest couch. He tries to comfort her until she regains her composure enough to tell him what's the matter.

"I had a nightmare," Lily says quietly, slightly embarrassed. "James and I went on a date to The Three Broomsticks."

"A date with Prongs is _that _nightmarish?" Sirius cringes, feeling terrible for his best friend. One date with James and Lily was already having nightmares about what it would be like to go out again?

"Sod off!" complains Lily loudly. "That wasn't the awful part!"

"Okay, I'm sorry!" says Sirius defensively. "By all means, continue!"

"So we were in Hogsmeade, and everything was perfect..." Lily trails off, her cheeks heating as she thinks of the passionate kiss she shared with James. Sirius clears his throat, and Lily continues. "And then we were ambushed by Death Eaters."

Sirius gasps, but Lily goes on. "Most of them had masks on, but two of them didn't. You and Severus had your wands aimed to - to kill. The next thing I knew, James was dead, and you looked all too pleased with yourself."

Sirius Black, for perhaps the first time in his life, is at a complete loss for words. He barely manages to say, "I - _I_ killed Prongs?" before a tear leaks from the corner of his eye. The very _thought_ of hurting James in any way is enough to make Sirius's heart hurt. James is the only family he has - what would he do without him? Especially if it was _his_ fault?

"It was only a dream," says Lily quietly. The words do little to soothe Sirius's now frayed nerves.

"What if it wasn't?" he asks in fear. "What if it was a warning?"

"Black," says Lily calmly, taking a deep breath. "I know you'd never do that to James. My subconscious was just being stupid, and now I feel embarrassed. I'm sorry for everything I did to you, it was wrong of me. I was just being irrational."

"No, Evans," disagrees Sirius as he gets up from the couch and begins to walk back to his dorm. "In these times, I fear you're one of the only ones being rational. I don't talk about it so much with the others, but this war _scares_ me. James, Remus, and Peter are the only family I've got, you see. And if I lost them..." Sirius trails off, cringing and shivering with fright. "Your subconscious was only trying to tell you what you already know. You can't trust _anyone_. There could be a traitor in our midst at any moment. Just...remember that, okay?"

Without another word Sirius disappears, leaving Lily feeling very lost and confused. She knows only one thing for certain in that moment; she won't be going back to sleep anytime soon.

* * *

Author's Note: o I'm not really sure what that ended up being, but I really love writing snapshots of the lives of the Marauders and Lily. This may end up continuing, it may not. If I do continue it, we may see the reactions that are shared between Lily, Sirius, and James the next morning! In any case, I hope you all enjoyed it and don't forget to comment with any feedback! I know Lily was a bit OOC, but personally, if I had an awful dream like that, I think I would be too. Thanks for reading!


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